Swaziland report / Commonwealth Relations Office.

  • Great Britain. Office of Commonwealth Relations
Date:
[1959]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Swaziland report / Commonwealth Relations Office. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    9/156 page 3
    An Important event for the future of agriculture in Swaziland was the development of an agricultural re¬ search service under the Department of Land Utilization. The main research station has been sited in the Malkerns Valley and sub-stations have been established at Goed- gegun and Big Bend. The research staff during 1959 comprised a Soil Fertility Officer, a Horticultural Re¬ search Officer and a Pasture Research Officer. Vacancies existed for an Irrigation Research Officer, an Agronomist and a Plant Pathologist. Some important results have already been obtained in diagnosis and control of zinc and other trace element deficiencies in maize and rice. The dry winter had little effect on agricultural pro¬ duction, but it was the cause of great concern to the Veterinary Authorities. The year started with good rains with the result that a record monthly butter production figure of over 100,000 pounds was established in March. Unfortunately, however, the lack of rain during the following months brought the production down to 7,893 lbs. in September, the lowest figure since July 1953. There were no major outbreaks of stock disease during the year, although the presence of foot and mouth disease in the Komatipoort and Hectorspruit Dis¬ tricts of the Union caused areas adjacent to the border to be placed in quarantine. There was a small outbreak of infectious sterility in the Ezulwini dipping tank area, and all breeding stock had to be slaughtered. The annual cattle population census conducted during August and September revealed that the total number of cattle was 503,915. This was the first time that the cattle population had exceeded 500,000. Important as agriculture and animal husbandry are to the Territory’s economy, it is clear that for many years to come Swaziland will depend on its mineral resources for most of its revenue and much survey work is still going on to assess more exactly what these re¬ sources are. During the year the Geological Survey and Mines Department continued its investigation of the Territory’s old gold mines. Several mines were inves¬ tigated in detail, the largest and most promising of these being the Wylesdale Ridge Gold Mine which was last worked in a small way in 1949. A detailed report giving grades and ore reserves has been published and interest has already been shown in the mine.
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